Petraeus: Iraq ‘surge’ troops to be withdrawn

Politicians respond
Outside the hearing room, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he hoped Petraeus’ testimony could lead to a bipartisan consensus.

That seemed unlikely.

“This is simply unacceptable,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a written statement. Inside the hearing, Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida told Petraeus that despite his assessment, most independent experts say Bush’s so-called surge in troop strength has failed.

Criticized in advance by some opponents of the war, the general went out of his way to proclaim his independence. “I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or the Congress,” he said.

Petraeus said the withdrawal of the Marine unit would be followed in mid-December with the departure of an Army brigade numbering 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers.

After that, another four brigades would be withdrawn by July 2008, he said. That would leave the United States with about 130,000 troops in Iraq.

Petraeus conceded that improvements in security in Iraq were uneven across the country.

Using 13 pages of colorful charts, he said, “The level of security incidents has declined in eight of the past 12 weeks, with the level of incidents in the past two weeks the lowest since June of 2006.”

Ticking off some of the gains, he said, “We have disrupted Shia militia extremists, capturing the head and numerous other leaders of the Iranian-supported Special Groups, along with a senior Lebanese Hezbollah operative supporting Iran’s activities in Iraq.”

U.S. and Iraqi forces had dealt “significant blows to al-Qaida-Iraq,” he said, although he conceded that the terrorist organization remains dangerous.

Extent of progress debated
Despite Petraeus’ generally optimistic report, the extent of any improvement has been a matter of debate.

The Government Accountability Office, a congressional agency, recently reported that Iraq has partially achieved only four of 18 political and military goals.

Additionally, a formal National Intelligence Estimate by the administration this summer said the Iraqi government is strained by rampant violence and deep sectarian differences.

Bush and his political allies have worked forcefully in recent weeks to shore up Republican support. The effort has included television advertisements and a presidential visit to Anbar province to highlight improved security in the vast western stretches of Iraq.

Bush also called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the hours before Petraeus spoke.

Growing opposition
Despite the administration’s efforts, fresh polls reflected significant public opposition to the war.

An AP-Ipsos survey found that only 36 percent of those questioned believe the troop increase has helped stabilize Iraq. That was up only marginally from 32 percent in February, as the buildup was beginning.

Even before the hearing began, anti-war protesters asserted themselves.

MoveOn.org targeted Petraeus in a newspaper advertisement, accusing him of “cooking the books” for the White House. “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” it asked, a wordplay on his name.

Nearly two dozen senators, all Republicans except for Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, called on Democrats to denounce the advertisement.

None did, although none stepped forward to defend it, either.

Cindy Sheehan, a prominent critic of the war, was among those hustled from the hearing room by police.

“This is intolerable,” said Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., who chaired the hearing and was forced repeatedly to order police to maintain order.

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